Thursday, June 11, 2015

Opportunity Knockin'.... IF YOU WHEEL!

Every day or at least every couple days, I read Wikipedia and look at recent deaths and then this day in history. I usually read it to my mom because she might be the only person on Earth who has never used a computer before (I don't mean internet, I mean computer, aside from punching numbers for codes and such). So I read them to her and try to educate myself. Today was interesting because it had a couple more noteworthy events than usual, but nothing really standing out.

Until I got to birthdays. I was reading them (not all of them, because neither of us know many Swedish table-tennis players so I pick ones we have heard of). I had to pause for a moment and said "Oh, man..." My mom replied "what?" So I told her today was Magnum TA's birthday. Normally this wouldn't register, and I might have skipped it because she wouldn't know who that is. Many of you might not or know the significance so I'll explain quickly.

Magnum TA was a wrestler whose name is Terry Allen. He was a rising star in Jim Crockett Productions NWA Wrestling federation (which would later become WCW). Right on the cusp of megastar status, he was injured in an accident that finished his career more or less.

Now this tidbit would go unnoticed to many on any other day, but today it meant a lot worse. Magnum TA's running partner at the time of the accident was none other than Dusty Rhodes.

If you haven't heard the news today, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes passed away at the age of 69 earlier today. He leaves behind many family members and fans, who have been talking about it all day. He had two brother in-laws who wrestled- Jerry Sags (Sags of the Nasty Boys), and Fred Ottman (Typhoon of the Natural Disasters, but more infamously as The Shockmaster). He also had two sons who wrestled- Dustin Rhodes (aka Goldust, and other variations of the name and gimmick), and Cody Rhodes (who now is going by Stardust, a name Dusty himself used).

Its a sad day for wrestling fans, and so I thought I would show some cards I have of him off, thanks to Trading Card Database for the scans, and pay my respects to "The Common Man".

1990 ish, proving he could turn crap into gold.

He was a legend, and did just about everything in wrestling.

He is also one of 6 people to be inducted into all the major wrestling Hall of Fame's.

At this point let me say I'm not going to lie. I never got to see the meat of his career, and I wasn't the biggest fan of his. However he had the charisma that could make The Rock cower in the fetal position. His promos were some of the most passionate ever. They were meaningful and sometimes went on for a while, but they told a story, which is a lost art in today's world of soundbites.

I mentioned he just about did it all, for quite a while he was an announcer for WCW (and later would be the same for WWE's developmental league the FCW or NXT). They way he talked made for even the most boring matches seem good. He would say things of no relevance, but he still put the wrestlers in the ring over (another lost art in today's wrestling). "Opportunity knockin' for young Billy Kid-man, if you wheel". His Texas accent stood out. After the wrestling would win (let's just use Kidman again) he's say. KIDMAN'S TAKING IT TO DA PAY WINDA BABY!"

I watched some of his videos today, and I forgot how much fun it was for him to call the matches (especially with Bobby Heenan). One match was a hardcore match where he basically laughed for 5 minutes interjecting things like "THAT WASN'T A PIN TONY (Schiavone), THAT WAS A LOW BLOW" (which they both were right, there was a low blow, but while Heenan and Dusty was enjoying themselves, Tony tried to call it normal and he stunk it up).

Once, according to Eric Bischoff, just to see how he would respond, WCW brought a kid's bike into the arena and used it to see how Dusty would react while calling the match.

For me it is the announcing I will miss the most about Dusty. He was still working for WWE in NXT, and many of the wrestlers today expressed sadness but said Dusty helped them so much. Nobody could cut a promo like him, and it will be a huge loss to NXT when it comes to that.

Here are a few other pics of Dusty.

That hat is horrible, but at least its better than polka dots.

Once Magnum TA was injured, Dusty started teaming with former rival Nikita Koloff to form The Superpowers.

One of the most famous promos Dusty cut was one called HARD TIMES!

Another sad note about Dusty's passing today involves this promo.

"There were two bad people… One was John Wayne and he’s dead brother, and the other’s right here."

Today is also the day that John Wayne passed away in 1979. All these event makes it a little creepy.

So, in closing, let me say Rest in Peace Dusty Rhodes, and thank you for all the entertainment you provided throughout all your years.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Harley Race, whom he defeated twice for the NWA Heavyweight Title. The other person he beat while claiming the title 3 times? Ric Flair.

Thank you all for reading, and if you have a favorite memory of Dusty Rhodes, feel free to leave a comment. Have a great night.